Always Gold to Me
by TheWhittiePhantom
Summary: ((Set between 1x11 and 1x12)) Every week at least one new dangerous metahuman is locked away for the sake of public safety. But must they all be serving life sentences? Remembering a time when the team hoped to be able to eventually release these people, Barry decides to try and appeal to their newest arrival's better nature. With luck, he'll live; and so will Hartley Rathaway.
**Chapter One
** " _ **Ooo, Handcuffs!"**_

* * *

It was dinnertime at S.T.A.R. Labs, and it was Caitlyn's turn to venture down into the pipeline with take out for the villains they were containing.

This time Barry was following her. Usually Caitlyn would've been happy to have his company, but tonight was a different story. She kept glancing at Barry unhappily, each glance being pointedly ignored by Barry who pretended not to notice or be affected by them.

Finally, she broke the tense silence. "Remind me again why you think this is a good idea?"

Barry heaved a sigh through his nose. "Remind me again why you two _don't_ think this is a good idea," he grumbled. "I mean, I know why, but reforming and rehabilitating the metahumans we capture has been the plan from the beginning, and we haven't even really tried with any of them."

"As I said before, I'm all for reforming the metahumans," Caitlyn replied. "But all of the metahumans we've captured are either too dangerous, just plain evil, or both. I don't want you to get hurt."

Barry refrained from sighing irritably again. "That's why I'm not trying to reform Bivolo or Mist."

"Hartley is just as dangerous as any of the others," Caitlyn countered. "He almost killed you once, he could do it again."

"I know, I understood that before you and Cisco told me the first fifteen times. And like I said before, even though Hartley might be dangerous, he's not nearly as psychotic as everyone else who's in here. A little sociopathic and a huge jerk, sure, but I just don't think he's a killer. And if I'm wrong, then I've got my contingency plan."

Caitlyn shook her head, knowing that she would have no better luck talking him out of his plan now than she and Cisco had had a few hours ago.

Barry stood to the side and out of the way as Caitlyn gave the other metahumans their dinners first. He was ready to intervene if he had to, but the disgruntled inhabitants of the pipeline didn't put up any fight that Caitlyn couldn't handle for the most part, so in the end he only had to help hold the Mist at bay.

Finally, it was Hartley's turn. Caitlyn summoned his cell and then promptly left, leaving Barry alone to speak to the newest addition to the pipeline. Barry didn't blame her. In fact, he was actually glad she had left; it might even make talking to Hartley easier...

Hartley's cell stopped at the entrance to the pipeline, its resident's back turned. "Cisco," he greeted simply.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Barry replied.

Hartley was surprised, turning with a slightly confused expression. "The Flash, I presume? What do you want?" He almost sounded disappointed.

"Sorry I killed your dramatic turn-around thing," Barry said. Hartley just sneered and turned his back again. "That's not what I came here to do, I promise."

"Well then, what did you come here for?" Hartley scoffed.

Barry didn't have to see his expression to know that Hartley was scowling. "To make you an offer," he responded simply. "Wanna talk about it over dinner?"

That got Hartley's attention. He turned around, his brows furrowed, and was met with the sight of Barry smiling pleasantly and holding up a pair of shiny bracelets. They were both open, strangely resembling a pair of handcuffs without a chain. "You're not really my type," Hartley sneered sarcastically.

"It's not a date," Barry corrected with a slight smirk of his own. "You wanna stay in there and eat Big Belly Burger, or stretch your legs and get something a little bit fancier?"

Hartley eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of offer?"

Barry simply opened the doors to Hartley's cell, holding out the cuffs in his hands pointedly. Hartley slowly stepped out of the cell, watching Barry carefully. When he offered his wrists, Barry snapped the high-tech cuffs around them. "Try anything, and these will shock you hard enough to knock you out for several hours."

"Fantastic." Hartley seemed to study the cuffs. They were only prototypes, but Barry hadn't been lying when he said that they could put Hartley down for a while. Cisco had been working on them for several weeks, designing them to be impossible to remove without authorization and with their own stun mechanism just in case the wearer got any ideas. They weren't connected yet and as a result didn't actually restrain the wearer - Cisco had been building them so that if one came off then the other would stay put, and therefore had held off on connecting them until the final stages of development. Overall, they were perfect for Barry's needs; inconspicuous and secure. Plus, Hartley would have to get through both Barry _and_ Dr. Wells to remove both of the cuffs; each cuff could be controlled separately with Barry possessing the controls to one and Wells the other, so even if Hartley went after one of them, he could still be stunned by the other.

"Shall we?" Barry asked confidently. Hartley just gave him a slightly bored look.

As he lead the way out of the pipeline, out of the labs, and to the street to flag down a cab without incident, Barry started to get the feeling that this evening might actually go better than he thought; Hartley hadn't even insulted him (aloud) yet.

 _IHAVETHEWAHMBULANCEONSPEEDDIAL_

At least half an hour in, and none of Barry's conversation starters were working; every time he tried, Hartley blew them off with his usual flair. He wasn't about to walk straight into that trap...

"What's your favorite color?"

Hartley admired Barry's patience...or ability to hide the fact that he had long since lost it, he wasn't certain which. He pretended for what must've been the dozenth time to be completely absorbed in the fettuccine alfredo he somehow still hadn't finished (he'd been trying to stretch out the meal to give him something to do while ignoring Barry besides staring at the tasteless "Italian" decor of the small restaurant, but by now it was getting kind of ridiculous). Barry was staring at him expectantly while munching on some garlic bread, waiting for any sort of response. Between bites, Hartley finally replied with, "Anti-flash white."

Barry raised his eyebrow. "Is that a real color, or one you made up?"

"It's used on nuclear bombers."

"Oh." After a moment... "That's not your real favorite color."

"It is now."

"Oh come on," Barry responded with a good-humored smile and a playful eye-roll. "I'm just trying to actually make your acquaintance."

"What for?" Hartley asked suddenly, setting his fork down and staring straight at Barry without amusement. It was the first time he had given Barry his full attention since the pipeline. "You don't think I can see what you're trying to do? Getting me to be your 'buddy' so that you can 'reform' me? You can drop the act."

Barry frowned. "That's only a part of it," he admitted. "I really would like to be your friend if you'll let me. Not to mention, it's kinda pointless to reform someone who's not evil."

Hartley scoffed. "Is that what you think? You do recall me trying to destroy your internal organs with sound waves, and almost succeeding?"

"You sound like Caitlyn and Cisco," Barry joked. "You guys can be such downers sometimes."

Hartley was now starting to doubt Barry's sanity... Yes, he had the stun-cuffs on to keep him from trying anything too obvious, but that didn't mean that someone would certainly be able to stun him in time or that he wouldn't try anything, and it _certainly_ didn't magically make him trustworthy. And yet, this moron seemed to trust him. "You can't be serious..."

"If that's the way you feel now, just imagine how surprised you're going to be in just a few seconds," Barry said. His words seemed to be teasing, but at the same time everything about his expression and demeanor became oddly serious. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table and met Hartley's stare straight on—the universal look of "we're about to discuss some serious business." Hartley was taken aback by the sudden change, unsure of what to expect. He maintained the gap between them by leaning back as Barry leaned forward, giving him a look of undisguised suspicion as he waited for Barry to elaborate.

"I'm going to make a deal with you," the speedster finally explained. "All you have to do to fulfill your end is be good. That means no stealing, no destruction of public property, no attempted murder, and try to refrain from loitering."

Hartley nodded once slowly. "And in return?"

"You get to wander relatively free."

Hartley would've spat out his drink if he had been taking a sip of one. Now he was _certain_ that Barry was insane. "I beg your pardon?"

"Yup. We'd all appreciate it if you stayed close, but starting now, we'll let you go anywhere in the city. You're welcome at S.T.A.R. Labs, and I think Dr. Wells mentioned that you would also be welcome to sleep at his place if you'd like."

Hartley doubted that Cisco and Caitlyn were as on board with him having free rein of S.T.A.R. Labs as Barry was. "So I'm on parole then."

"Exactly. You violate your parole, you get stunned and sent back into the pipeline. If you can prove yourself, however, the cuffs'll come off, and you'll be free to go."

Hartley continued to eye Barry suspiciously. "You seem oddly trusting of me. Any particular reason why?"

Barry just shrugged. "Why not?" he answered. "Aside from how rude you can be, you're not the worst person in the world right now."

"Hm." Hartley wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin before throwing it into the remaining scraps of his mostly finished pasta and standing. "Your naive optimism is imprudent, given the circumstances." He pulled a five dollar bill from his pocket and dropped it on the table before heading for the door. Barry made no move to follow him, at least for the time being.

Did that idiot really think that just because he didn't have powers quite as fancy as the Flash or Mardon that he wasn't a threat? Barry must be even dumber than he'd originally thought to think so. Hartley Rathaway wasn't called the prodigal son for nothing; his intellect had been his superpower since birth. He may not have the upper hand at the moment, but he wasn't about to let his situation stay that way.

His original plan had been to use Cisco to earn his freedom, but he was nothing if not flexible... He just needed to modify his plan a touch.

Hartley smirked to himself as he hailed a cab to take him back to S.T.A.R. Labs. All he would have to do is play along, and he would be free in no time.

 _CONTEXTSAVESLIVESJUSTSAYIN'_

Barry hadn't felt like eating much more after Hartley left.

To be honest, he had been hoping for at least slightly better results than he had gotten... Hartley hadn't even really spoken to him, and when he did, it didn't get them much of anywhere. He had been hoping to maybe start a conversation, hopefully learn a thing or two about the antagonistic scientist, but obviously that hadn't happened.

After reconsidering his mission along the way back to S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry was thoroughly disheartened and certainly looked the part. How was he supposed to get through to Hartley when he couldn't even start a conversation about the weather with him?

"I take it the evening didn't go as well as you'd hoped?" Dr. Wells observed after Barry came to a stop in the cortex. He had been watching quietly as Cisco tinkered with some of the devices in the Flash suit. Caitlyn was nowhere to be found, so she must've gone home already.

"If you've changed your mind, his cell in the pipeline-" Cisco began pointedly.

"I'm not giving up," Barry interrupted. "I just...need to think of a different approach, that's all." He didn't sound as confident as he had wanted to.

Dr. Wells sent Cisco a disapproving look before wheeling closer to Barry. "And that's exactly what you should do, Barry; I think you are correct in singling Hartley out for all this. It may not seem like it, but he does have a heart beneath his...charming demeanor, and I firmly believe that if there is anyone out there who could appeal to his better nature, it's you. I'm not saying that it will be easy, but it is possible."

He finished speaking just in time for Hartley to walk into the cortex. Wells and Cisco noticed first and looked up, but Barry was busy mulling over what he had been told and gave no indication that he had even heard Hartley enter the room.

"Doctor, Cisco," was Hartley's bored greeting to the pair who had noticed him. Cisco just ignored him and continued his work. Wells nodded back at him. "Flash told me that you would be willing to give me a place to sleep tonight?" he continued to Wells, looking at Barry almost as if he doubted the truth of the statement.

Wells glanced over at Barry—who had looked up with a mild mix of horror and frustration at being referred to by the name of his alter ego—before responding. "That is correct."

"I would like to take you up on that offer." Hartley didn't sound very grateful... He wasn't showing any emotion at all, really. And the way he was looking at Wells was...off, Barry thought.

Dr. Wells smiled politely. "I was just leaving," he said, gesturing towards the exit. "Shall we?" Hartley nodded once before spinning on his heel and leaving. Wells didn't follow immediately, instead looking back towards Cisco. "Cisco, if you would please lock up when you're finished?"

"Yep," was Cisco's blunt reply. Barry glanced over at Wells, but he just shrugged slightly and followed after Hartley.

Barry sighed and looked over at his friend, not enjoying the mood he was in. "Goodnight Cisco, see you tomorrow."

Cisco only mumbled in response. Barry lingered for a moment uncertainly before darting away towards home.

Hopefully he'd have a better day tomorrow.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 **I've been sitting on this for a looooong time, and just got reinterested in it. I was fascinated by the possibilities surrounding Hartley's character after thinking about him for a little while, then I read on some wiki that apparently he gets reformed in the comics, and my plot bunny just sort of grew out it's fluff from there... What can I say, I like it when Barry infects others with his happiness. That crap can be so contagious sometimes. ;D Not gonna promise an update schedule or anything since I don't have most of it written yet and I've got other stuff, too, but I wanted to get this out there, so HERE. TAKE IT. This archive needs more Pied Piper, dangit! (I can promise that this is going to be 8 chapters and a short epilogue of fluff, though, so there's that. Also, I have an idea for a cover that I may draw eventually because fanart.) ~Mumble  
P.S. Couldn't decide on a good title, so I just took a line from the song "Always Gold" by Radical Face since that's kind of my theme song for the relationship between Barry and Hartley at this point. It's a good song, you should give it a listen. ;3**

 _I hate Hartley. So much. So very very much. While I like that Barry rubs off on other people, BLUE LANTERN YO, I can never find anything redeemable about that dude. I know he's appearing in the upcoming episode, 'Flashback," and I hope it's just so that he can get punched in the face. On the bright side, I thought he was my most hated character in the Arrowverse. Now it's Felicity, so he's moved up a spot. ~Whittie_

 **YES I NEED THAT EPISODE I WANNA SEE WHAT THEY DO WITH HIM! While I can't vouch for comics!Hartley, I still think that CW!Hartley has loads of potential, and will defend him to my last breath. Felicity, on the other hand, we can both agree on. ;) CURSE THE WRITER WHO RUINS GREAT THINGS.**

 **(Sorry for the reupload, I missed a spot, heheh... It's fixed now.)**


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